Nikki Dillard was laid off at the onset of the pandemic, and like so many who have experienced the distress of receiving a figurative “pink slip,” the sudden loss of her job proved to a significant turning point in her career. But in her case, it was a blessing in disguise.
Dillard is now reveling in her special effects role for Georgia’s flourishing film industry, where she recently wrapped filming of MGM’s “Creed III” and landed a job on The CW show “Legacies.” Her on-set experiences and education through the Georgia Film Academy (GFA) allowed Dillard to find passion in her work, something she severely lacked in her office role ahead of the pandemic.
The GFA is a unique, statewide initiative to train the next generation of film and television crews through coursework and on set experience. The program’s focus on diversity and support of underrepresented communities has resonated with leading Hollywood studios and production companies like MGM and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, who have signed on to help the GFA set students on a path for a career in the entertainment industry.
“It has freed me in a very important way,” Dillard said. “I am proud of what I do, and it feels really good to be able to say that.”
Dillard’s recent internship on “Creed III” was actually her second foray into the film industry after a setback curtailed her first experience.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota with an English degree, Dillard became interested in joining film production as the industry grew in Georgia. A discussion with a friend led her to join the GFA’s continuing education program at Clayton State University, and she soon landed an internship working on the set of the 2019 film, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.”
However, Dillard was forced to leave the program after her employer said she would have to choose between her office job or furthering her education. With worries about her next paycheck, she made the difficult choice. When she was laid off in early 2020, she immediately saw it as an opportunity to get back into the program.
“A friend of mine who previously worked for a Fortune 500 company enrolled in the GFA a year after me, and she’s working for Marvel Studios now,” Dillard said. “We both think about so many creative people sitting in cubicles because they had to pay the bills, squandering their artistic talents. Now we are out living a dream.”
Dillard had originally planned on specializing in construction, but after getting hands-on experience with the various segments of film work at GFA, special effects caught her interest.
“I get to set things on fire, blow things up, make things look dreamy and cinematic, it’s been amazing” she said.
Dillard is ecstatic with her new career and said the film industry allows her to chart her own path. She was shocked at the number of jobs available. Dillard strongly believes that anyone interested in joining the industry should take the plunge.
“Be ready to work hard, it is demanding,” she said. “But it is also so rewarding, and it’s such a cool thing to be able to tell people what you do for a living. I had a setback and never thought I would be able to finish at GFA, but I took the reins and ran with it, and I love where I am.”
